Mobile electronic devices are increasingly provided which users carry with them. A mobile telephony device is a typical mobile electronic device, but users may also carry dedicated music players and gaming consoles with them for example.
When a user carries a mobile electronic device with them they expect to be able to use it as they wish, and the mobile nature of such devices is that they are intended to be used when a user wishes. The use of mobile electronic devices needs to be independent of access to any independent wired power supply to allow a user to go about their normal business.
Users may however carry with them devices which need to be charged for them to be used or continue to be used. The need to charge mobile electronic devices may be because a battery supply of a device drains in use, rather than because the device is uncharged.
With the rising dominance of smart phones and feature-rich battery-draining demands, maintaining sufficient charge is a constant challenge every day.
Being unable to recharge a device such as a mobile telephone and losing the ability to communicate can cause considerable inconvenience. Research shows that users feel increasingly vulnerable without their mobile telephone, and users expect round-the-clock entertainment from their iPods and games consoles.
A user may access a wired power supply to provide charging of their device, but this typically requires a user to stay with the device when it is charging. Typically a mobile electronic device has a high value associated with it, and a user would thus need to stay with the device when it is charging.
In certain situations a user may wish to allow their mobile electronic device to charge whilst they continue with other things. For example, a user may wish to continue shopping whilst their mobile electronic device charges.